If you, like me, have been using PowerPoint since computers were boxes with with humming towers attached to them, then you may have forgotten a few little features that could make you life easier when making presentations, games, or even PDF worksheets for you classes. Let me give you a quick reminder of what you …
Platypi Learning
Interactive Resources for Passionate Teachers
Recently my eldest, B1, was diagnosed with dyslexia. His reading and writing has been something of a concern since he began primary school, and there hasn’t been a year that I haven’t gone in to the school to raise concerns with his teacher. Since he got his diagnoses I’ve joined some Facebook groups to support …
There’s nothing like that feeling (is it pride, or accomplishment, or honest relief?) of looking out over a classroom engaged students. Sometimes that feeling can be all that gets you through the rest of the week without taking a mental health day, and staying home with Dr Phil and a tub of ice-cream. And of …
I was explaining to my kids the other day that when I was in primary school, we only had one TV. It was set up on one of the walls in the juniour block corridor, and when our teachers wanted us to watch something like an educational program on the ABC, or a video about …
Part of teaching is assessing. It’s not the best part – that is special morning tea day in the staffroom – but it’s an important part because without assessment neither you, nor your students, know where and how they’re improving. And for me the humble rubric is the champion of assessment tools. Let me tell …
It’s fair to say that I am a big fan of digital learning, but parent and teacher concerns around screen time (and an excess there-of) are real and reasonable. There’s ample evidence that too much screen time can have negative impacts on young people. But, we also know that technology can have a huge benefit …
I’ve been looking a lot into ‘learner agency’ recently. Well on it’s way to being something of an education buzz-word, properly understood learner agency means that students are active drivers in their education. It goes beyond ‘student-centred learning’, and shifts the power from teachers to learners. We’ve talked about self-efficacy before too, but again learner …
I’m having my bathroom renovated. As I type this two gentlemen are demolishing the contents of my bathroom, and jackhammering tiles off the floor. My anxiety is through the roof. Not because I’m worried about the work they’re doing, or the mess, or that the cat is freaking out. It’s because I hate having people …
The humble worksheet. Some teachers love them, some teachers dread them, but they crop up in most, if not all, classrooms at least once in a school year. They’re helpful when a CRT has to wrangle your class for you, and they can be useful for introducing new learning skills.
Happy Monday! How did you spend your weekend? Lesson planning? Spending time with family? Doom scrolling the news? Finding an alternative to Facebook to get your news? (Not actually a problem for me because literally only use Facebook to stalk boys I had crushes on in high school, and keep in touch with friends and …
